New Year

A happy new year to you.  Health, happiness, crafting, family or whatever else appeals to you.

I've done a bit of knitting.  I joined a sock knitalong which has my type of rules.  Anything too rigid sets me up to drop out.  This one has a a goal, set by each participant, and a spread sheet to report progress once a month.  A picture posted in the first week of eery month.  Yarn and pattern is up to each person.

Now I know I once made thirteen pairs of adult socks and two smaller pairs in three months.  I also know why I did so much knitting at the time. I'm not planning on doing that again.

I have a heap of sock yarn, although some of that was purchased with other uses in mind. I'm not sure what this yarn is, I've had it a while.  When I wind wool, I usually tie the label to the end of the ball but it wasn't there this time.  It's thicker than most sock wool and I'm using 2,5 mm needles, although I think 2.75 would have suited the yarn better.

The pattern on leg is called crosshatch from Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks.  I have used this pattern several times, it's quick and easy.  Eight rows in the pattern and it's easy to see where to pick up.  Garter stitch short row heels.  I haven't continued the pattern down the instep as I found that this pattern does make my feet sore in lace up shoes.

The sock tones are indeed purple but the sock is resting on a very red stripe of my tablecloth.  Just one of those weird things digital cameras do to red tones.

I once had a swift but a friend of my husband put it  out from under the shelter on our back deck.  It was wet with rain and then in the sun  and it spit.  It had been made to what he remembered of his grandmother's swift.

Since then I've done various things and here have put some skeins over the narrow end of my balcony table.

Suzyhausfrau got some  Swedish swifts in just before Christmas.  I bought one knowing her good service.  I'm very happy with this and it came packed in a sturdy long cylindrical Postpak which makes ideal storage for it.  I have ball winder.  I saw it about a week before I bought the swift.  Now I cannot find it anywhere.  It surfaces like this and I have no idea  where it is.  I daresay it will show itself when I'm looking for something else.

My son has moved into a townhouse and is settling in.  The medication is beginning to kick in and he's beginning to understand  some things.  He sounds very much better and his children are glad to see him happy.  I think he's lonely at times, but that's understandable.  I thought I had a reasonable idea of DIL's character after 14+ years but she's not living like that now.  She refuses to see anyone to even discuss anything and there are a lot of nasty things coming to the surface.

I'm very glad to see son making some progress and to see him determined to positively reshape his life.  This has been a long time coming but the doctor seems to have found good medication for him at the first choice.  He hated what he had years ago and it didn't help and the psychiatrist  would not change it.  However, I'm devastated that it has taken this break up for him to get help. The children seem to be coping but Miss 12 goes to High School this year and such moves are unsettling.